When you think virtual worlds, most people now think Second Life. Though it wasn’t the first, its influence is great. Even Sweden has opened an official country site there – understanding that to reach the right audience, you’ve gotta go virtual.
Telecom Report - Online Communities (8:08 min, Subtitled)

Communities don’t have to be in front of a computer. More and more, operators and marketers are tapping in to the opportunity provided by mobile communities.  See and hear what Coca-Cola is thinking in terms of its branded community.

The business models are now changing thanks to the online and mobile communities.  Sometimes the money is real, other times only the data traffic is real.  The arguments for keeping the virtual and real economies separate, yet what operators can do to seize real money from the virtual world.

With the number of users of mobile social networking sites expected to surge, operators are teaming up with online community sites or introducing their own community services.

With Japan’s advanced mobile phone culture, service providers there are leading the way in the area of mobile communities. In October 2006, SoftBank, the country’s third largest mobile operator, launched S! Town – a three-dimensional mobile social community.

US company Rave Wireless is proving that mobile social communities can be about much more than having fun. Its wireless community services are helping students at universities across the country keep up-to-date with class assignments, bus information and campus life.